Page 27 of Denying Davis
I’d come to this clarity of thought when she received a phone call. She hesitated to take it, because it was an unknown number, but I encouraged her to answer.
“Hello? Can I—” She stopped walked along the waterfront. “What? She’s…oh my God. I…okay…okay…Right, I will be right there. JFK, you said?” Her eyes widened, and her shoulders pulled tighter. “I’m on my way. Thank you. No, I really appreciate it.” She ended the call.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s—it’s my mom. Oh my God, I—” She looked stricken, and she began to walk back toward Clematis Street and my car. “She’s at the hospital. She’s had an emphysema flare-up.”
“What? How bad?”
“This is her second trip to the emergency room in a year.” Samantha increased the pace of her walk, and her next words tumbled out of her mouth. “She felt ill and called a taxi to take her to the hospital. That was our neighbor. Mom collapsed in the stairwell, and she found her and called 9-1-1.” She glanced at me as we reached the edge of Flagler Park.
“What? That sounds serious.”
“It is. She’s…she’s…” She looked at me. “Any missteps for her can be a big deal.”
We crossed Clematis Street, heading toward the parking lot. Samantha was moving so fast, she was almost running.
“I shouldn’t have come out tonight,” she muttered to herself when we reached the final block before the lot. “I knew she wasn’t feeling well. I should have been there. I could have prevented this.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “Don’t blame yourself for this.”
“And why shouldn’t I?” She turned to me and narrowed her eyes. “She relies on me. I’m the only support she has. We don’t have a safety net, Davis. We don’t get breaks in life. And she’s…she—”
“We’ll get there. I’ll take you to JFK. Just try not to think about it. You’re taking this out on yourself.”
“We’re drowning,” she grumbled as we arrived at the parking lot. “Fast.”
“But I’ve got you,” I replied. “You have to trust me.”
We hustled to my car without saying much else. She didn’t need to elaborate; she was stressed out, upset, and worried. Anyone would have been.
JFK Medical Center had a large emergency room, and a full parking lot—it was busy for a weekend night. I dropped her off at the front entrance then located a spot at the far end of the parking garage. When I turned off my car, I pushed down the distaste bubbling from my stomach. I hated the creepy, sterile feeling of hospitals, and I avoided them.
But I wouldn’t avoid it now. Not when Samantha needed me.
I found her at the registration desk.
“She’s probably going to need to be admitted,” she said, half to me and half to the woman behind the desk. “Her emphysema is a major obstacle, and she has other health problems as a result. Swelling, migraines, chronic pain.” She sighed. “A lot of things.”
“That’s something you will need to discuss with ER doctor,” the registrar said. “For now, you can go back there. She’s in room 5A. Through those double doors. Left-hand side. Here’s your badge.” She blinked at me. “Do you need a second one?”
“Um.” I looked at Samantha. “Do I?”
She hesitated. “I—I know you said the contract was null and void tonight, and I appreciate that. It means a lot. But I don’t think now is the right time to reintroduce you to my mom.” She glanced at the large steel doors dividing the emergency waiting room with the examination area. “It’s…it’s just too much.”
“That’s fine.” And it was. “Let me know what I can do, okay? I can come back and get you both when she’s released.”
She looked deeply into my eyes. “Thanks, Davis. I really appreciate it.”
Something charged the air for me at that moment.I would do anything for this girl.And that would never change.
“I’ll text you when I have an update,” Samantha said after a quick glance in the registrar’s direction.
“I’ll be waiting for it. Goodnight, Samantha.”
Then I reluctantly released my grip and walked away from her.
It didn’t take long for me to find my way out of the emergency room and back to the car. I hardly noticed that I did. I was too concerned about what Samantha would find when she walked into her mother’s room. I didn’t know much about emphysema, except the prognosis could be long and complicated.
